Meant To Be
by Marissa-Xtreme SelDem Fan
Summary: Not good with summaries, a little explanation inside. Good story though, please read.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first attempt at an ER fic. As most of us are, I am a Carby fan, and that is what this story is about. This fic is sort of AU (Alternate Universe) because there are doctors and nurses from the past in here and ones currently in the show are there but the story is placed a little bit before they actually came onto the show. The timing and placing is kind of confusing because it is an AU, but I try to follow the story line of the show. Mark and Elizabeth are not married, they never had Ella, and he does not have a tumor. Luka and Sam are not in a relationship, but they eventually might be. I'm mainly just a Carby fan, but with a little Marsan thrown in. Carter has gone to the Congo, but he came back after saving Luka. He does not return with Kem. She doesn't exist in this fic. Please read and review so I know what you think of this story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own ER or any of the characters associated with the show. I wish I owned Carter though, he's yummy.

**Rating: **This chapter is rated PG-13 just to be safe, but there is one little rated R part which is the second to last paragraph of this chapter, just to forewarn you. If you are uncomfortable with R-rated material or if there is someone who might be reading this over your shoulder that may take offense to it, I suggest you wait until they have gone or you don't read this story. You could probably skip that paragraph without missing anything because it will be explained a little in the next chapter. 

**Summary: **I'm not real good with summaries, especially this one because I have to keep some secrets of the story. Basically it's just a fic that centers around Carter, Abby, and their relationship. It's been done lots of time before, but I hope my twist to the plot will add a unique quality to it. Lots of Carby fuzz.

**Meant To Be -** **Chapter 1**

The clock turned to 5:00 am and began to beep loudly. Abby groaned from under the covers as she threw them back and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She retrieved a towel and washcloth from the linen closet then walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The warm water cascading down her body slowly woke her up. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself as she stepped from the shower. Abby dressed in her hospital scrubs then pulled her brown hair into a ponytail. She walked into the kitchen, put a bagel in the toaster, and got the small tub of cream cheese out. A few minutes later, the bagel popped up. She spread the thick substance over the bread and took a bite. She set it down for a moment to gather her things. She grabbed her white lab coat, which had a nametag that read Abby Lockhart. She smiled to herself. Soon there would be and MD attached to the end of her name in a little over a year's time. She collected the rest of her items needed for work. She finished off her bagel, locked her apartment, and set off on her walk to County hospital as she did every day. 

Just as Abby entered the ambulance bay, John Carter came through the sliding doors of County General Hospital. Abby's heart caught in her throat as he neared her, looking down. Despite all that the both of them had been through, she still loved him very much. He finally looked up and gave her a small smile when he saw her, "Hey Abby, just about to start your shift?" She nodded, "Yeah, Weaver's got me working a twelve hour shift, seven to seven. Are you on break or are you off?" "I'm off. I'll be working the graveyard shift tonight, ten to ten. It'll be the third time this week that I have worked graveyard. I swear Weaver's working me to the bone," he looked down at the ground for a moment then stared straight into her luminous brown eyes, "um… you want to go get some dinner tonight?" Abby's stomach did flip flops of joy, but knew that it was just a friendly, casual dinner between colleagues. "Yeah, that'd be great. Is eight good for you," Abby inquired, smiling. Carter nodded his head in confirmation, "I'll come pick you up at eight then. Oh, and dress nice." She gave him a quizzical look then replied, "I better get in there or Weaver's going to be on my ass like fire on wood." He smirked, "Alright, I'll see you later Abby." "Bye Carter," she called out as he walked towards his Jeep. Abby then walked into the hospital and entered the lounge to put away her belongings. She had just pulled on her lab coat and was now adjusting the stethoscope around her neck when Kerry Weaver burst through the door. "Abby," she yelled, "where the hell have you been?" Abby glanced at her watch, "My shift doesn't start for another twenty minutes." Weaver shouted back, "I don't give a damn! Get your ass out here and help! We've got a gun shot wound to the chest coming in, ETA two minutes." As the doctor left, Abby sighed and her shoulders sank. "It's going to be a long day," she said to herself. 

Abby plopped down onto the couch that evening as soon as she got home from work. Her shift today had been as a medical student, which meant more traumas, more patients, and more work. However, she was glad that she would be able to get away from it all when she had dinner with Carter tonight. She'd come home and study afterwards. She went to take a shower and pick out what she would wear. It took her almost half an hour before she finally decided on a simple black dress with a halter-top that had strings to tie at the back of her neck. It was soft and shiny, falling just below the knee. Abby combed out her hair and put it up in a clip. She washed her face then did her make up. Twenty minutes later, promptly at eight, the doorbell rang. Carter's jaw dropped and his mouth fell open when she pulled the door wide to let him in. He stuttered in awe of how stunning she looked in her black dress. "Wow… you look amazing, beautiful…" he trailed off, shaking his head in astonishment. She smiled up at him, "Thanks, you did say to dress nice. You clean up good too." He was dressed in a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt. "I think so too," he grinned wryly, then offered his arm, "shall we go?" Abby nodded and grabbed her purse then, arm-in-arm with Carter, left her apartment. 

They drove for about thirty minutes, talking about work, their lives, and what Dave's consequences for his newest adventure in the ER would be. Finally, they arrived at a fancy restaurant. As they entered the brightly lit establishment, Carter said to the hostess, "John Carter, reservations for two." "Right this way," she replied as she grabbed two menus. The woman led them to a secluded table in a corner near the outside gardens. At this part of the restaurant, the lights were slightly dimmed and a small candle on the table. Carter pulled out a chair for Abby like the gentleman he was. Abby sat and he pushed in her chair then he took his own seat to her left. 

Over almost forty-five minutes later, they still sat at the table, eating a dessert of ice cream and pie. Abby picked up her mug of coffee and held it in both hands, sipping carefully at the hot liquid. During this silence, Abby thought about the strange ways Carter had been acting the past couple of days. She was startled out of concentration by Carter reaching and taking her hand in his. He gently rubbed his thumb over her soft, delicate hands. "I've missed you, Abby," he said tenderly, at first avoiding her gaze but then looking steadily into her eyes. Her heart bounced with joy as she smiled and responded, "I've missed you too." "Listen, um… I have been thinking about some things… and I wanted to talk to you about it," he said hesitantly. She nodded for him to continue. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "I miss us, Abby. I know we've hurt each other in the past, but I want us to be together again. I still love you, Abby, so much. I want our relationship to work this time, I want us to work." 

Abby appeared unsure of what to say and her eyes were shining from the tears held there. A million thoughts were running through Abby's mind. _Would he hurt her again?_ Despite the fact that she still loved him, she wasn't sure that she should get back with him again. _What if they got back together and when things got tough, he left again?_ Her heart wouldn't be able to handle it. _But,_ she thought to herself, _am I willing to risk my heart once more even if there is the slightest chance that it could really and truly work out between us?_ Yes, she would. If she could finally find true happiness with Carter, she would take that chance in a heartbeat. The tears she had been holding back broke through the dam that had contained them. She quickly looked down to hide the rivulets falling down her cheeks, dabbing at them with her napkin. 

"Abby," Carter inquired, gently lifting her chin so she would have no choice but to look at him. Her expression was unreadable, which scared him a little. He wasn't sure if she wanted to get back together or stay apart. From her reaction, it appeared to be the latter. Carter placed both his hands on her face, his thumbs softly wiping the tears from her eyes. This gentle gesture only caused more tears to flow down her wet cheeks. She had longed for Carter's tender touches and soft caresses during the time they had spent apart. She leaned into his hand, taking comfort in it. Slowly, she took one of his hands and brought it to her lips. She placed a few feather-light kisses on his palm as Carter's heart pounded a little faster. She did want to get back together. He gently pulled his hand out of her grasp and she looked up at him with confusion written in her expression. He smiled and leaned his head in, their lips touching. The kiss deepened and Carter was surprised when she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Both of their tongues intertwined as they continued kissing, but finally broke for air two minutes later. They both smiled at each other and clasped hands again. He glanced at his watch, noticing how late it was. "Sorry Abby, but we have to cut the rest of tonight short. I have to be at the hospital in an hour," he replied. She smiled widely, "No need to apologize, I had a great time." Carter wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he paid their bill and walked to the Jeep. 

When they arrived back at Abby's apartment, she unlocked the door and let them in. They stood in the midst of her living room, a tableside lamp as the only thing illuminating the room. Abby and Carter held each other in a warm embrace, relishing in the feeling of holding one another in their arms again. Abby, whose head was resting on Carter's chest, was the first to speak, "Thanks for tonight, John. After the shift I had today, I really needed it." He smiled in response, "No problem. I enjoyed it too." Their lips found each other again as the night overtook them and pent up passions soared through their bodies. 

They slowly made their way to her bedroom, kisses becoming more intense and hands roaming over one another. Finally, they found their way to the bed and he laid her on it then carefully climbed on top of her. He gave her a searing kiss then made a trail of hot kisses across her jaw and down her neck. He lifted a hand to her breast and gently squeezed, first one then the other. A moan escaped Abby's mouth as she clutched the hair at the back of his head in her hands. She pulled him towards her, pressing his face lightly in between her breasts. He then took one of her taut nipples into his mouth, sucking through the soft material of her dress. She moaned again and arched her back as a jolt of pleasure shot through her body. After he'd tended to her other breast, Carter slowly began to untie the top to her halter dress. Realization at what they were doing finally hit Abby. She wanted him to make love to her more than anything, but not like this. Not so soon. 

"John…wait," she said, her voice a little hoarse. He gazed at her in disconcertion, wondering why she wanted to stop. "I want to take it slow this time, okay? In our last relationship, we went too fast and look were we ended up. I just think that if we take it slow, our relationship might be better off. I'm sorry, I just want it to work out this time," she explained. "No, it's okay, I understand," he replied as he rolled off of her and onto the other side of the bed, "I guess we kind of got caught up in the moment, huh?" "Yeah," she smiled and kissed him while rubbing his chest, the blue dress shirt now wrinkled. Abby pulled the clip from her hair and placed it on her bedside table, noticing the big red numbers on the clock. She turned back to Carter, "John, get up! It's 9:45! You're going to be late for your shift!" He rose from the bed and searched for his suit jacket. After he'd found it he came to her side of the bed and kissed her lips then her forehead. "Are you working tomorrow," he asked. "Yeah, I'm working from six am to midnight, an eighteen hour shift," she replied, positioning her pillows. "Alright, get some sleep. I'll see you for a little bit tomorrow." She pulled him in for one more kiss, "Bye." After Carter had left, Abby still laid in bed. Still feeling the heat and passion that had caused her to become aroused, she fell into a blissful slumber. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **So how was Chapter 1? I hope you guys liked it. I just love all that Carby fuzz! Well, here's the next chapter! Please read and review! Next chapter will probably be up soon, although it may be a little short because this is the end of my Spring break and I have to go back to school on Monday. Uggh! I hate school! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Refer to Chapter 1

**Rating:** PG-13 to be safe, due to a few curse words.

Meant to Be - Chapter 2 

As soon as Abby entered the hospital lounge, she made a beeline for the coffee pot, not noticing Susan sitting on the couch. Abby was breathing in the strong aroma of coffee when Susan spoke up, nearly causing her friend to drop her cup. "Rough night," Susan questioned, "I didn't know you were working last night." Abby replied, smiling, "I wasn't, and I had a great night." Abby laughed softly at the memory. Susan raised an eyebrow, begging her to continue. "Carter asked me out to dinner last night, we talked about some stuff. He wanted to get back together," Abby explained, forcing herself not to smile. 

Susan was a big supporter of Carter and Abby as a couple, despite the previous breakups. She would be thrilled with the news, but it didn't mean that Abby couldn't play her along a tiny bit. Susan's eyes widened at the information, "What did you tell him?" "I don't know, it's still kind of hazy," rubbing her forehead, feigning a headache. "You didn't drink, did you," her friend asked in concern. "No," Abby responded as she took another sip of her coffee. "Then why-" Susan's brow furrowed in contemplation, then her eyes bulged even wider at a thought, "Oh my god! You had sex with Carter!" 

"No, but we almost got there," Abby smirked at her friend. "What made you stop," asked Susan, but she raised her hand to object, "never mind, I don't want to know." "Yes you do. I know you're dying to find out," Abby goaded her. Susan threw up her hands in surrender, "You know me too well. Alright, give it to me." Abby heaved a big sigh in preparation for her explanation then began, "Well we were just about to, you know, do it and it kind of hit me that just an hour before, we had renewed our relationship and here we were about to have sex. I couldn't do it. That's why we broke it off last time because we went too fast. I want to take it slow, build it up before we went any further. You know that old saying, 'slow and steady wins the race?' Well that's how I want it to go with Carter." 

Susan nodded in understanding. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Susan nudged Abby's shoulder and winked at her, "So, you and Carter, huh?" Abby saw the mischievous glint in her eyes and warningly pointed an index finger at her, "Oh no missy, you better keep your mouth shut about this. I don't want anybody else to know yet." "My lips are sealed," Susan replied, "but what if Carter mentions it?" Abby's eyes got wide as she quickly rose from the couch and ran from the lounge, yelling, "Carter! Where's Carter?" Jerry called from the admit desk, "He's in suture three." "Thanks," Abby shouted back as she jogged down the halls. As soon as Abby found the room, she quickly rushed in and shut the blinds. 

Thankfully, Carter was alone, cleaning up and putting everything back in its place. At the sound of the two swinging doors, Carter turned around, "Hey Abby, how are you?" "I'm good," she half-smiled, but then frowned a little, "John, we have to talk." He froze as fear washed over him. _Was she experiencing doubts and regret about last night and their getting back together?_ He hoped not, he loved her too much to let her go this time. "John?" She lightly touched his arm, which brought him out of his trance. "Wh- What did you want to talk about," he asked nervously. "Have you told anyone about us yet," she inquired. "No," he replied, disposing of his gloves. "Good. I don't want everyone to know just yet. I only want Susan to know right now and I've already told her," Abby sighed, "you know everybody loves us as a couple and if they knew, I'd feel… pressured by them. When I get pressured I let people down, disappoint them. I don't want to disappoint you John, I don't want to disappoint myself." 

He pulled her into his strong arms for a hug and kissed her on top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You could never disappoint me, Abby," he said softly, rubbing her back, "besides, I knew you'd feel this way so I didn't tell anyone." "Thank you," she lifted her head, lightly brushing her lips against his. He gave her a lopsided grin, "You know how Susan likes to spread gossip, she might say something." "She better not, I told her to keep her mouth shut," Abby scowled, "if she knows what's good for her, she will." He laughed and kissed her passionately, hands roaming her back then hers doing the same, pulling him even closer to her. 

Susan popped her head into the room at that moment, receiving an eyeful. She pretended to gag at the two disgustingly happy people, "Oh, get a room you two." She smiled and waved as she left the room. "We have got to get her a boyfriend," Carter said, "maybe then she will stop pestering us and the other staff will have something to talk about besides us." Abby chuckled, "Yeah, we need to get her a man. What about Mark or Luka?" "Who do you think she'd prefer: all around great guy and doctor who's had a crush on for a few years or hot, new Croatian doctor," he asked, smiling at her with glints of light dancing in eyes. "I think Mark would be good for her and vice versa. They have a lot in common and I know they both like each other." "So we're going to play matchmakers now," Carter laughed. 

"I don't know. I just think that if they got together, things could be great for them, like they are for us," she replied, kissing him. "I missed you last night," he said softly, resting his forehead against hers. "Mmm, I missed you more. The bed was so lonely and cold without you there to keep me warm," she closed her eyes in content, wishing the moment would never end. 

Unfortunately, it was interrupted by Dr. Chen poking her head in quickly, looking frazzled. "John, Abby! Thank god I found you two! There was a major accident on the freeway. Couple of semis went out of control, plowed into a bunch of cars. Domino effect if you know what I mean." "Oh god, how many," Abby asked as her hand covered her mouth in shock. "Twelve traumas, ten criticals, and seven with superficial wounds." "What," Carter shouted in disbelief, "we can't handle all those patients! We've already got two traumas, a waiting room full of walk-ins, and we're short on staff!" 

Chuny entered the suture room, "Dr. Chen, Dr. Carter? Mercy just closed to trauma so they're sending five traumas here." Carter seethed with rage as he raced to admit, the three women close behind, "The hell they are!" As he dialed the phone number for the ER at Mercy, he asked, "Chuny, are we closed to trauma?" She too was on the phone, "No, but I'm calling it in now." Someone from the Mercy ER picked up the line and Carter spoke, "Hello, this is Dr. Carter at County ER. I was told you were sending us five trauma patients, but we cannot take them. We're closed to trauma due to the accident on the freeway… No, we can't take them, we don't have enough room or doctors on call and we've got twelve traumas of our own coming in. Reroute them to Northwestern… What?! I can't believe this! Alright, I guess we have no choice. Bye." 

He slammed the receiver back down onto the phone, "Dammit! Northwestern is closed as well and we have no choice but to take the traumas. We need to get all the doctors and nurses here as soon as possible. I don't care what they're doing of if they were on call last night. Tell them we've had a mass casualty occur and that we need all the help we can get. Page Benton, Corday, and Romano for surgical consults. Where the hell is Weaver and Susan?" Halleh responded as she passed by, arms full of supplies, "Weaver's on break and Susan is in curtain four." 

"Alright, page Weaver as well and I'll fill Susan in with the details. After we've treated and stabilized all the traumas and criticals and it's calmed down a bit, I want you, Chuny, and Halleh to work triage," he said, pointing to Abby and the other two nurses. "Yay, fun triage," Chuny replied sarcastically. Abby smiled at the woman, "Yeah. Treat 'em and street 'em. It's what we do." "Abby, you come with me and we'll tell Susan what's going on." 

Abby nodded and took his hand as they briskly walked down the hall. Halleh and Chuny gave each other skeptical looks, raising silent suspicion at the casual contact. As the two headed to curtain four, Abby chuckled softly and whispered in his ear, "You're so sexy when you take charge, you know that?" He laughed and replied in her ear, "I think you're sexy all the time." She gave him a quizzical look, "Even with vomit, urine, or blood on me?" "That's the only exception," he responded. 

Susan came out of curtain four just as they approached. "Hey guys, what's up," she asked, disposing of her gown into a waste hamper along the wall. They replayed what was happening to her and what they were doing to resolve the situation. "Good job Carter. Let's go to admit to wait for the other doctors and nurses," she told them. Once most of the staff had arrived, Carter and Weaver addressed them about the situation and handed orders out. Just as the group dispersed, Lydia shouted, "Traumas are coming in!" With that came the rush to save people's lives while maintaining their cool under such stressful circumstances with too many patients and not enough doctors. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I got chapter three done before I thought I would so here it is! I know it's a little short, but I wanted to get it done before I started school on Monday. Chapter four will hopefully be done either by the Wednesday or the end of the week, depending on homework load and other activities. I'm sorry there wasn't much Carby fuzz in this chapter, there will definitely be some in the next one though. Chapter four will probably be rated R, just to forewarn. I hope you like the story so far. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer:** Refer to Chapter 1

**Rating:** PG-13 to be safe.

**Meant To Be - Chapter 3**

Sixteen long, grueling and stressful hours later, the chaos had finally died down. Three of the seventeen traumas had been DOA and two more had died while the doctors were working on them. He was glad that they were able to save so many of the people sent to them, but was saddened that they couldn't save the ones that had died, even with all the medicines and equipment at their fingertips. The critical patients had been stabilized and sent to surgery, recovery, or other departments of the hospital. The victims with superficial wounds and walk-ins had been treated and sent on their way due to the effectiveness of Abby, Chuny, and Halleh, who had worked triage together many times before. Only about nine other patients were left in the waiting room to be assessed and treated.

As Dr. Carter left Trauma One, he slid to the floor against the opposite wall, curled his legs, and rested his head on his tired arms. He sat there for a few minutes until he raised his head wearily at the sound of footsteps. "Hey," Abby said, giving him a tired smile, "you're a sight for sore eyes." She collapsed down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You too," he replied, grasping her hand lightly in his own. "You should go home. You pulled a double shift today on hardly any sleep," she responded.

"I know, they should really pay us for overtime, we'd be reaping in the riches. How long do you have until you're off," he asked, lightly running his thumb over her hand. "You already are reaping in the riches, John," she laughed at him, "just one more hour, thank god. Then it's home, a warm bath, and bed." He smirked a little, "Is there any room for me in this plan?" "Only if you promise to behave yourself."

"Don't worry, I will. I'm too tired to be up to any tricks tonight. I just want to hold you in my arms," he kissed her forehead then slowly pushed his aching body up from the floor. "A hot bath sounds really good right now. My muscles hurt from all the continuous and straining work we had to do today. I'll wait for you in the lounge while you finish up. I'm gonna go to admit to tell everyone that I'm off, want to come with me?" "Yeah," she sighed, grabbing his offered hand as he pulled her to her feet.

As they trudged to the admit desk, the two noted that it was almost deserted of staff, save a few nurses, Frank, and Randi at the desk. "Where is everyone," Carter asked. "How the hell should I know? I'm not everyone's babysitter," Frank bellowed. "Lounge," Randi replied, popping her gum as she looked through charts. They headed to the lounge, where they found most of the staff, relaxing until the next batch of patients came in and making a schedule of who would be on the rest of the night and the next day.

"Hey Carter, Abby. You guys all finished with your patients," Mark asked as they entered. "Yeah, Mrs. Smith just went up to surgery with Corday for a spleen removal and to repair some liver damage," Carter replied, scratching the back of his head. Abby sat down next to Susan on the couch, "The little boy in curtain two just went home. Broke his wrist and needed some sutures." "Great," Kerry replied, "where are you two on your shifts?" "I had an eighteen hour shift. I still have about forty minutes left," Abby answered. "I'm off. I pulled a double today, I was supposed to be off at ten this morning," Carter responded, glancing at his watch, which read 11:23.

"Alright, it's pretty slow right now. Why don't you two go home, Susan and Luka, you as well. Jing Mei, you still have about three hours to finish. Mark, since you were off yesterday, you will cover a full shift. You too, Neela. Melucci, because of your antics the other day, you are going to take a double shift." "But Chief," Dave protested, "I worked yesterday!" "I don't care! This is your punishment and you must take it, or you're fired! You need to stop sitting on your ass all the time or playing pranks on everyone and start doing something around here. No more arguments, you're working a double," Weaver shouted. Melucci growled and stormed out of the lounge. "Mark, if he starts any trouble or isn't doing what he's supposed to, let me know. I'm going home, night all," Weaver bid farewell.

"I wish I could go home," Chuny sighed and crossed her arms. Halleh, who was sitting beside her at the table, responded, "You're preaching to the choir, girl." Sam replied, "I could cover a half-shift for you, but it'll have to be in the morning. I have to get home to Alex." "I'll cover the other six hours tonight," Lydia piped in. "Thanks guys," Chuny answered as she rose from her seat and gathered her stuff. "You're my girl, Halleh, I will take your shift," Malik said as he reached out a fist. She pressed her fist against his, laughing, "Thanks Malik." "No problem, girl," he replied.

"Well, this has all been really fun, but I have a midnight date tonight," Susan said as she stood. "Really? That late," Lily asked. "Yeah, his name is Bed," she smiled. Abby laughed, "Oh really? Then we must be dating the same guy. My date's name is Bed too; he's soft and comfortable. With a little bath thrown in too, the date will be heavenly." Many of her coworkers laughed along with her at the joke. "I'm gonna go too, before I get sucked back into working again," Carter said then attempted to stand and when he failed, he held his hands out, "somebody help me, I've sat and can't get up." Another bout of laughter filled the room. Abby grasped his hands and pulled him up, "Wimp." He objected to the name-calling, "Hey!" Susan, himself, and Abby went to their lockers and retrieved their belongings. Since Carter's was right next to Abby's, he whispered discreetly in her ear, "Meet me outside and we'll go together. I'll drive you home." She nodded and put on her coat. She and Susan said goodnight to everyone and Carter did the same a few minutes later.

He met her by the Jeep and after he'd unlocked the passenger side door, he gave her a passionate kiss. "I've been waiting to do that all day," he said, smiling at her. "Me too, and it was worth the wait. Now let's get home so I can take my bath." "Your wish is my command," he replied coyly. They returned to her apartment and Abby drew the warm water for them. As they stripped themselves down to nothing, they stood there, admiring each other's body. Neither could smolder the heat rising in their bodies or the lust in their eyes.

Carter stepped into the bath first, leaning against the back, and Abby settling against his chest. He kissed along her shoulder and lightly sucked at the skin in the crook between that and her neck. She let out a little moan and she turned to kiss him. They leaned back again as Abby slowly ran the washcloth over their bodies, cleaning the sweat and grime that had accumulated from the day. Then they just sat in the comfort of one another, his arms wrapped around her abdomen, her fingers entwined with his. A few minutes later, Abby noticed that Carter had been lightly snoring. She carefully got and woke him up, "John, wake up. Let's go to bed, the water's getting cold." He got out and dried himself off then put on a pair of boxers. She donned some pajama pants and a spaghetti strap t-shirt. Together, they climbed into bed and Carter wrapped his arms around her once again. They both fell asleep, exhausted but content. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Sorry it took me so long to post since Chapter 3. I had a little writer's block, but it turned out into a pretty nice, long chapter, the longest yet. There are references to Carter's brother, Bobby, in this chapter. I don't know how Bobby died, so I made it up. After all, this is an AU fic. I hope you like this chapter! Rated R parts in this chapter! Please read and review!

**Disclaimer:** Refer to Chapter 1

**Rating:** This chapter is pretty much rated R because there is a couple of R 'scenes' in the storyline. Rated R for sexual content.

Meant to Be - Chapter 4 

It had been over a week since the mass casualty occurrence and because of conflicting shift schedules, Abby and Carter had not seen each other much outside of the hospital since then. However, they had found a little time to go out on a date or two, otherwise, they'd opted to eat in. The hot month of July had faded into August, temperatures not decreasing.

Abby had gotten off at six and Carter would be working until three in the morning. Abby lie in her warm bed, asleep, the breeze coming from the window failing to douse the heat swarming her bed and body. It was a wonder how she could sleep through the hot Chicago night, but she did. Her sheets were tangled from her frequent movements of tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable. She moaned and ran a hand over her bare stomach subconsciously in her slumber. Abby was dreaming of Carter and those dreams were overpowering her. She dreamed of them joining as one person, not being just two halves of a puzzle anymore. She wanted- no, needed him to take her, but he wasn't there. The times where they had worked together were tortuous for her. Smelling his cologne, his nearness to her, and the love shining in his eyes, it was all she could do to stop the urge to pull him into an exam room, lock the doors, and have him right there on a gurney. She knew she had told him that she wanted to wait, but she couldn't do that anymore, she needed to feel him inside her, making love to her. With him, it had never just been having sex, but making love. He was so gentle and tender with her that it would be called nothing but that. 

A sound penetrated Abby's sleep, rousing her from the wonderful dream. She pulled back the covers and glanced at her clock, which read 4:11 am. She growled as she found her robe, wrapped it around herself, and stumbled sleepily to her apartment door, "I'm going to kill whoever is outside." She looked through her peephole, saw that it was Carter, and quickly opened the door to let him in. "I'm sorry I woke you, Abby. I just really needed to see you," he replied. He looked dejectedly at her and she noticed that his eyes were red and puffy, he'd obviously been crying. "John, what's wrong," she asked concernedly, her hand gently caressing his cheek. 

He shrugged off his coat and sank heavily onto her couch. He ran both his hands through his hair and rested his elbows on his knees. "There- there was a little boy that came in around midnight, couldn't have been any older than nine or ten years. He had Bobby's disease. We must have worked on him for at least an hour, maybe more. We couldn't save him… I couldn't save him," he broke out into sobs and his whole body shook because of the intensity. 

She sat beside him and held him in her arms as he cried. She knew the death of his brother, Bobby, still pained him to this day. "Shh, it's okay John. John, look at me," she waited until he raised his head, his watery gaze upon her, "You did everything you could to save him, used all the medicines to help him, right?" He nodded and she replied, "Then you did everything you were supposed to do, could do. Don't blame yourself because the boy died. He was probably too far affected by the disease to survive. You are a good doctor, John; you did everything remotely possible to save the boy. That's all a family can ask for. I know it won't bring their son back, but they'll grieve and work through the pain. Just like you have." By this time, he had quieted down a little and now responded almost in a whisper, "I still miss him so much." She kissed his cheek and reached out a hand to him as she got up from the couch, "I know you do. Come on, why don't you go take a warm shower and come to bed. You look like hell." He smiled a little, "Thanks, for everything. I didn't realize how much it still hurt me about Bobby until tonight. Thank you for being here for me." She hugged and kissed him again, this time on the lips, "It's alright, that's what I'm here for. I love you and I don't want you to be sad or hurting because it makes me worry and sad too." "I'll be fine. I just need a hot shower and a night with you, get in bed and I'll be there in a few minutes," he smiled reassuringly. "I will get you a towel and washcloth," she walked to the linen closet and pulled them out. He kissed her again more passionately then walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Abby went to lie in bed, her robe still on, to wait for his return. She remembered her dream and warm sensations began to filter throughout her body. She wasn't sure it was the right time for that though because of Carter. She didn't want to coerce him into doing something that he may not feel like doing after the night he'd had. 

Several minutes later, Carter left the bathroom and found Abby curled on her side, eyes closed. He carefully slipped under the covers so as not to wake her, but she opened her eyes and smiled at him. She rubbed her hand across his chest, "Feel better?" "Much," he replied, entwining his fingers with hers. He then noticed that her robe had opened a little due to the strap loosening around her waist. It slightly exposed one of her round, supple breasts. He felt a tingling feeling spread through his body as his arousal heightened. He tried to control his urge to make love to her. He knew she wanted to wait, but he had been wanting to make love to her even before they had gotten back together. He gazed down lovingly at her, the moon illuminating her beautiful face, the lines and curves of her body. She kissed him deeply, slipping her tongue into his inviting mouth as she wrapped her arms around him. That simple act made him plunge into a downward spiral, failing to suppress his yearning and desire for this woman. He made a trail of kisses along her collarbone and licked her shoulder. Carter pulled away for a moment, looking into her eyes, "I love you Abby." She hugged him close to her and whispered in his ear, "I love you too. Make love to me John. I need you." He rolled onto his back, bringing him with her, so that she was lying on top of him. 

He slowly undid the strap around her waist and pushed the robe off her shoulders, sliding it down her arms. She took the garment from him and scooted forward to place it on a chair beside her bed. In this new position, Abby's breasts were hovering over his face, easily accessible for his mouth. Carter lifted his head slightly and flicked his tongue against one of her nipples then the other. She gasped at the soft contact and moved back down along his body. Her wiggling only caused to raise the pleasure within him. 

She turned them both onto their sides, arching her back and pulling his head towards her, pushing her breast to his waiting lips. He took her breast into his mouth, gently sucking the soft, fleshy tissue. Abby moaned in satisfaction and cupped her other breast, lightly kneading and rolling the nipple between her thumb and index finger. He pushed her hand away and began the same ministrations on the breast and did the same things Abby had done on the one that had already been tended by his mouth. 

She moved her hands down and slipped them into his boxers, lightly grabbing his shaft in her warm hands. Abby softly stroked it, gently dragging her fingernails up his shaft. This time, Carter was the one who moaned. "Abby, I need you," he said hoarsely, feeling as if he would explode at any moment. She slid her hands around the waistband and pulled them down over his butt and down his legs, throwing them to the floor. He rolled on top of her and gazed into her eyes, finding love and desire in them. He then thrust into her and kissed her passionately on the lips, sealing their connection and joining them as one. 

It never ceased to amaze her at how completely he filled her, like they were made for each other, meant to be soul mates. They began in a slow, rhythmic motion, and then moved at a faster pace as their arousal intensified. She felt him tense up inside her and finally release his warm liquids into her. 

"Abby," he cried out in pleasure as he hit his climax. She went with him, her orgasm reaching its peak, crying out his name. He collapsed onto her, both breathing heavily. After their breaths had returned to a normal pace, Abby said, "That- that was… wow." He smiled and kissed her forehead, "Yeah. So much fore taking it slow, huh?" She chuckled low in her throat and snuggled close. 

They rested awhile, basking in the glow of their lovemaking. Abby let out a small yawn and Carter asked, "Tired?" "No, not really," she replied, hugging him close and resting her head on his chest. She looked up into his eyes and found love in them and a seductive grin on his face. "What, you want to go again," she inquired. He nodded and kissed her. 

They made love four more times that night and slept until late in the morning because of their activities. Carter was the first to wake and he looked at the clock. He kissed her on the lips to wake Abby up. When her eyes fluttered open, he said, "Good morning." She replied and kissed him back, "It IS a good morning." "What time do you have to go in," he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Noon, you?" "I'm on at ten. Since I have to leave in about an hour, I'm going to go hop in the shower and then I'll make us breakfast, sound good to you," Carter proposed. "Sounds wonderful," Abby replied as she stretched. He reluctantly climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. 

A half hour later, the two of them sat at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. He had cooked eggs, bacon, and toast. "Mmm, this is delicious. I could get used to having a cook around here. All the take-out places in the vicinity of my apartment know me by face or phone number when I go to eat there or call in an order." He laughed loudly, "Really?" "You saw my fridge," she replied, "there's hardly anything in it." He took another bite of egg, "I guess we'll have to go grocery shopping then." "Yeah," she answered as she chewed on her toast. He looked at his watch and gulped down the rest of his coffee, "I have to go. I'll see you in a couple of hours." He kissed her goodbye and left. She cleaned up the kitchen after finishing eating and went back to bed to catch another two hours of sleep until she had to get ready for work. 

Abby had not been in the hospital ten minutes when a trauma came rolling in. "Abby, we need you in here," Susan shouted as she raced the patient to Trauma Three. Abby quickly followed in their wake. Once she got in there, Susan said to her, "Abby, this is a good medical student case. I would like for you to present it to me." Abby grabbed the chart and scanned it for information. "Calvin Grand, thirty-eight year old male involved in a MVA. Scalp lac anterior to the head, possible wrist fracture of the right hand, and complained of abdominal pain. Minimal bleeding and given one meg of saline in the field." Abby checked his eyes and breathing, "Eyes are sluggish and dilated three centimeters, good breath sounds." Susan nodded in confirmation, "Okay, what tests do you want done?" "Let's order a CBC, chem7, lytes, blood alcohol, tox screen, x-ray for the wrist, and an ultrasound to rule out any abdominal injuries. Hang one meg of morphine for the pain." Susan nodded again, took the chart from Abby, and signed her name as attending then handed it over to one of the nurses. Abby left Trauma Three and Susan followed, "You did a great job in there. You're going to make a wonderful doctor. How long until you graduate?" Abby replied, "A little less than a year and a half." "That's great," Susan responded happily. "Abby! GSW in Trauma One, bring two liters of O neg and four megs of saline," Luka yelled. "Be right there," she shouted back. "See you later," Susan called out as Abby rushed down the hall. 

Two hours later, Susan met up with Abby again. "Hey, are you okay?" Susan asked concernedly. "I'm fine, why?" "I was just wondering because I've noticed that you've been walking kind of funny the past couple of hours. Were you hurt by a patient?" Abby tried to hold back her snort of laughter, but it escaped. "What," Susan asked confusedly. "Well…" Abby trailed off, debating whether she should tell her or not. "Well, what? Come on, tell me. You can't just leave me hanging here!" 

Abby pulled her into an empty suture room and sat on a gurney. Susan stood there, still waiting for an explanation. "Well, Carter came over after his shift last night and… we had sex." Susan shouted in astonishment, "What?!" Abby smiled and nodded. "Wow, so much for taking it slow," Susan smirked. "I know, Carter said the same thing. It just felt so… right though. It was amazing," her friend replied with a dreamy look in her eyes. "So you're walking funny because he rode you kind of hard, huh?" Susan tried to say it with a straight face, but failed to do so and burst out into hysterical laughter. 

"Susan," Abby yelled as she blushed in embarrassment. After her friend had calmed down a bit, Abby responded in a softer tone, "No, it wasn't like that. He was so gentle and tender… it was more the number of times in the span of time we did it in." Abby blushed a fierce red. Susan raised an eyebrow as if to beg her to continue, "How many and how long?" Abby turned her head and bit her lip to hide her smile, "Five times in about three hours." Susan whistled and swooned in amazement, "No wonder you were walking that way. You must be sore." Abby gave her a small smile as she scooted further onto the gurney, "A little bit, but it's a good kind of sore." 

Susan went and sat beside her, "God, I need a boyfriend, or I'll just have to keep living vicariously through you and Carter." "I hear Mark's available. You should date him, you two have been dancing around each other for years. You both like each other, I say go for it," Abby goaded. Susan shook her head, "I don't think I could do that. If we broke up, our friendship would be crushed. I don't want that to happen." "Yeah, but if you got together with Mark, it could be so much greater, Susan. Look at me and Carter, we risked our friendship time and again for a relationship. Look at where we are now; in love, happy beyond belief. You could have that with Mark. I felt the same way you did, but I took the plunge into the unknown. Now I wouldn't have it any other way," Abby explained as she reflected over her past. "Aww, that's so sweet," Susan replied. 

Just then, Carter came in, "Hey Abby, hi Susan. What are you two doing in here?" "Oh nothing," Susan replied, glancing secretively at Abby. She rose from the gurney and started to walk out of the room. "See you later Abby, I'm going to go have a little talk with Mark," as Susan passed by Carter, she patted his butt and winked at him, "way to go, stud." Abby burst into a fit of giggles and Carter must have turned six different shades of red. He stared at his girlfriend incredulously, "You didn't-" She smiled sheepishly, "She made me tell her. You know Susan has her own conniving ways to get information out of people. She beat it out of me." "I don't see any bruising or bleeding, she must not have beat you too hard," he responded dryly. His expression was unreadable; she didn't know what he was feeling. 

Abby slid from the gurney and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry. Are you mad?" He hadn't pulled away when she hugged him so that was a good sign. "No," he replied, hugging her tighter, "I just don't understand why you tell Susan, the Gossip Queen, about us and our sex life and I have to keep my mouth shut. I love you so much and I am very happy that we're together again, I just want to shout it from the rooftops." "So tell them," Abby said. "Really? Are you sure," Carter asked, excitement bubbling within him. "If it makes you happy then yes, you can tell everyone. Besides, Susan would never disclose our personal information to someone else, not unless we allowed her to, no matter how much of a gossip queen she is. And because of our little talk, I think I finally convinced Susan to go out with Mark," Abby smiled. "That's great. My girlfriend, the matchmaker," he chuckled. 

"Abby," Jing Mei Chen questioned as she opened the door. "Hey Deb," Carter greeted his friend. "Hi John. Abby, can you get this up to surgery; these are Mr. Turner's belongings," she requested. "Sure," Abby responded as she took the bag from her. Jing Mei looked from one to the other, who were still in a loving embrace and smiled, "Congratulations you two." "Thanks Deb," Carter responded happily. "Thank you," Abby smiled back. Dr. Chen nodded and left. She groaned and buried her face in his chest, "It's gonna be all over the ER in like three minutes flat. "Come on, I'll go up to surgery with you," he said, taking her hand then shuddering. She looked at him with confusion on her face. "I don't ever want to say that to you again. I never want you to get hurt and need surgery. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I don't even know how you dealt with it when I went into surgery after the stabbing." Tears sprang to his eyes at the memory. She wiped the tears away and kissed him. "Let's go. It's not good to dwell on things like that," she responded, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door. 

They entered the elevator and pushed the button for the seventh floor. It reached the floor for surgery and the two left the bag with a nurse. They reentered the elevator once more for their trip down to the ER. Unlike last time, it was completely empty. As soon as the doors closed, Carter turned to her, a seductive grin playing on his features. "I've missed you so much. I haven't seen you all day," he said between kisses on her neck and along her shoulder. He cupped both her breasts in his hands and gently squeezed them. Abby let a little moan escape then replied with a coy smile, "If I didn't know any better, I would think that my boobs are starting to become your favorite play toy." 

All he did to respond was hoist her up onto the arm railing and take one breast in his mouth. He lightly sucked and licked her nipple through her purple scrub top then changed to the other breast. This continued on for another two minutes until the ding of reaching floor two sounded. He backed up and let her down. She looked down at her scrub top, "John, look at what you did to my shirt! I can't go out there and face everyone like this!" Her shirt had two dark spots right where her mounds protruded from the shirt. "Just come with me," he grabbed her hand just as the elevator rang for the ER floor. They quickly made a mad dash for the nearest empty exam room as soon as the doors opened. 

"Wait here, I'll be back in a minute," he said as he kissed her and left the room. He reappeared a few moments later with a new scrub shirt in hand. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I guess after last night…" he apologized, giving her the shirt. "Yeah," she responded, grinning at the memory and her cheeks becoming a little warm. "I'll uh, let you change and get back to work," he said. "Alright, I will probably see you at home, I get off at six." "Lucky, I have to work until ten," Carter replied. Abby smiled and hugged him, "I am lucky, in more ways than one. Use the spare key in the hiding place to unlock the door." "I'll see you at home. I'll try not to wake you when I get in," he said and kissed her on the nose then left. Abby quickly changed and disposed of the shirt in one of the hampers. 

Just as she exited the exam room, Susan sidled up beside her. "Hmm, your hair is a little messy, your cheeks are flushed, and you have a big grin on your face. Did Carter want a little mid-afternoon booty call?" Abby bit back a choke of laughter. "Don't tell me you two did it on one of those tiny little gurneys. However did you manage," Susan asked jokingly, and then said seriously, "you didn't, did you?" Abby blushed and said, "No we didn't do anything on a gurney. We just had a little make-out session in the elevator on our way down from surgery." 

"Oh, okay. Do you want to go do something tonight," Susan asked. "Sure, what do you want to do," Abby answered. "I don't know, movie night in, shopping, or something. I just…" Susan said, suddenly finding the floor more interesting. "What," Abby asked concernedly, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know it's only been about a week and all… and I know you guys need time to- reconnect and stuff like that, but I've been feeling kind of… left out. We haven't done anything together for a while and I guess I just miss hanging out with you. Now you've been spending almost all your time with Carter and-" Susan confessed, but was interrupted. 

"Susan, you are my best friend. I am so sorry that I made you feel that way. My relationship with John should not get in the way of my other friendships, especially yours. John and I both love you very much. You are my friend, my confidant, and so much more. I don't want to make you feel left out. If you ever feel that way or any way, tell me. I'm here for you, like you are for me," Abby said, grasping both of Susan's hands in hers then cocking her head to the side a little, "now that I think about it, you are right, we haven't spent a lot of time together recently. We'll go out tonight, my treat. Forgive me?" 

"Yes," Susan smiled and hugged her, "so, pizza and movies at my place?" Abby nodded, "I get off at six." "So do I, want to go together?" "Yeah, let me go tell John what's going on so he won't wait up for me," her friend replied. "Oh, did you guys have something planned for tonight? I hope I didn't disrupt anything," Susan said uncertainly. "No, of course not. He was going to come sleep at the apartment, that's all. Just SLEEP," Abby emphasized the last word as Susan raised an eyebrow in suggestion of something more. "Alright, if you say so," Susan responded. "I do. Now let me go find John," Abby said as she started to walk off, "come find me when it's time to go." 

"John, do you have a minute," Abby asked as she entered the lounge, where he was busy filling out charts. "Yeah, what's up?" Abby explained what Susan had told her and said, "So I might not be home tonight okay?" "No problem. Say sorry to Susan for me too. Oh, thanks for reminding me. My mother called a little bit ago and she wants me to attend some party of hers. I don't know whether it's a family function or a charity benefit. I would like for you to go with me, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I won't subject you to my family and all the snobby rich people that are probably going to be there. Believe me, I don't want to be there any more than you do. We'll just go through my little routine for these things and then go get dinner afterwards." "What is this little routine of yours," Abby questioned. "Meet, greet, and bail. I say hello to my parents and Gamma, meet and butter up the guests and business partners or future business partners, and then leave. I've done it many a time and have perfected it almost to a tee." 

Abby's face scrunched up, "Your mother hates me." He got up and stood beside her, "Don't worry about that. It doesn't matter, as long as I love you and you love me, I'm the happiest man in the world. I will say for certain that I will never stop loving you. My mother will have to start liking you- or at least be civil to you- because I intend to keep you around. Besides, it's not like the last time you went with me. Now you're going not only as my friend but my girlfriend. I don't care what my mother thinks of you, just as long as we're together. I'm a rebel, what can I say. Instead of working in the family business, I become a doctor. Instead of marrying or dating another rich, stuck up girl of a well known family friend, I am dating the most beautiful, smart, and wonderful woman in the world." Abby's face felt like her face would crack from the wide genuine smile on her face at his words. He gave her a searing kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"So, is this party really formal or semi-formal?" John answered, "Knowing my mother, it's probably going to be pretty formal. Why don't you go buy yourself a pretty new dress just for the occasion? Here, let me go get my credit card-" "John, you don't need-" Abby objected. "Please, I insist. Buy anything you want," he said, moving to his locker and fishing out his credit card then handing it to her, "now go buy a beautiful dress for that beautiful body of yours." He squeezed her butt then patted it playfully. She smiled and kissed him. "I love you," she said, then tilted her head in thought, "you know, I haven't had anyone congratulate me about us yet. I was sure it would be all over the ER by now." "Well I haven't told anyone yet, been too busy with patients and charts." Abby replied, "Dr. Chen saw us together, she could have told someone. I haven't told Susan yet, I'll tell her tonight." "Nah, Deb is like Susan, she won't tell anyone. At least I think she wouldn't. Anyway, the party is on Saturday so you have tonight, tomorrow, and Friday to get a dress. Why don't you go with Susan and have her help you pick one out," Carter suggested. "What, you don't trust my taste," Abby replied, giving him a sardonic smile. "That isn't what I meant. It would give you and Susan some more girly bonding time and to talk." "Okay, so I will see you tomorrow?" "Yeah," they shared another long kiss before departing. 

When time reached 6:00, Abby and Susan collected their belongings and left together. As they entered Susan's car, the doctor asked, "So, first the movie rental place then the grocery store for popcorn and junk food?" "No, we have to go do a little shopping at the mall first. I have to find a dress," Abby responded. At Susan's questioning expression, she explained about the party. "Okay, let's go shopping," Susan said enthusiastically. Then they set out for the mall. 

Four stores and seventeen dresses later, Abby finally found the one. "It's perfect, that's the one, Abby," Susan said in awe as her friend came out of the dressing room. It was a simple, yet elegant dress made of dark emerald green satin silk. It had spaghetti straps and a v-neck crossover that overlapped between her breasts. "Really? You think so," Abby asked uncertainly as she ran her hands, smoothing the dress over her body, "green has never really been my color." "Well this green compliments you very well, you look beautiful," Susan responded, "Carter is going to need his jaw wired shut to keep it from falling on the floor." Abby giggled and blushed, "Alright, let me go change out of this. Susan, would you get the shoes that match this dress?" "I'm on it," Susan replied as she stood and went to search for them. After collecting the dress and shoes, they went to pay for them at the register then left. 

Later on that night, Abby and Susan watched a couple of chick flicks and comedies while munching on popcorn and candy. They talked about anything and everything, both happy that they were spending some much needed time together again after not hanging out for a few weeks.

**Author's Note:** The party will be the next chapter! I can't wait to write the lines for Carter's mother. I am going to have fun writing that. So far, I hope the people aren't too out of character, but hey, it's alternative universe so I can shake up their personalities a little. Thanks for reading and please review!


End file.
